This year will conclude as the sunniest on record for the U.K., weather officials say.
Britain recorded 1,622 hours of sunshine through the middle of December, putting it well ahead of its previous yearly record of 1,587 hours, set in 2003, according to the Met Office.
Officials see no definitive link between warming and sunshine as of yet, though the new record high is consistent with the long-term trend toward sunnier conditions. Recent decades have been sunnier, warmer, and often drier than what was typical in the 20th century, officials say.
Another factor in the sunshine may be a recent drop in aerosol pollution, which blocks sunlight. Weather stations register sunshine when the strength of sunlight surpasses a specific threshold. The drop in pollution may be pushing more days over the threshold, leading weather stations to record more sunshine, experts say.
The phenomenon is not limited to Britain. Aerosols are declining globally as countries clean up pollution from coal power plants and cargo ships. As a result, scientists say, the world has entered a period of “global brightening.”
ALSO ON YALE E360
Lightning Strikes the Arctic: What Will It Mean for the Far North?